Keane double delights Rafa

09 November 2008 09:01

Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez believes Robbie Keane is ready to ignite after scoring his first Premier League goals for the Reds in their 3-0 win over West Brom.
The £20million summer signing from Tottenham Hotspur fired the Reds into a 2-0 half-time lead at Anfield on Saturday evening before Alvaro Arbeloa's last-minute strike capped an impressive performance.
Keane had not scored a domestic goal for his new club in a frustrating start to his spell on Merseyside, but Benitez believes the Republic of Ireland striker is about to repay the faith he showed in signing him.
"I wanted to support Keane because he was playing well and working hard for the team," he told the club's official website.
"Goals are important for strikers so now he'll be happier and everyone will be talking about how good he is.
"I think he said he had a monkey off his back, so now he'll hopefully continue scoring goals and playing well.
"He has game intelligence and is always a threat to defenders around the box."
Meanwhile, Benitez believes the performance was the perfect response to the critics who suggested his side were not genuine title challengers following last weekend's 2-1 defeat to Spurs.
"We know everyone was talking about us having to show character after Tottenham," added the Spaniard.
"We didn't deserve to lose last week. We played well and we played well again today, scoring three goals - and it could have been even better.
"We are at the top of the table and will try to be there for a long time. But we have to take one game at a time and keep trying to get three points."